Dancers
by See266
Summary: Rose Weasley looked forwards to those nights. The evenings she would come back to the heads' common room and dance around with him until the stars had come out. When he would be waiting for her and once finished they would drink butterbeer by the fire. He was funny she realised, and he was gentle. And she had fallen all too soon.
1. At Hogwarts

Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy didn't really talk at Hogwarts. They never screamed at each other or pranked each other, like the teenage wizarding population had expected, but they were never best friends either. They just moved in different circles; neither bothered by the thought of family rivalry or an old grudge. Some thought they were just biding their time, but after three years had passed without any incident, Hogwarts students no longer seemed to care.

Both were smart, responsible and sensible; so it was no surprise when they were both made heads. Once again people speculated about them, wondering how long their quiet respect would last before one of them cracked. But once again people were wrong; Rose and Scorpius developed a sort of routine where neither bothered the other and they politely acknowledged each other in the hallway.

It perhaps would have stayed that way for their whole time at Hogwarts had it not been for the Yule Ball, which took place every five years. Tradition had changed a little since their parents had attended; it was no longer in accordance with the Triwizard Tournament which had been abolished the year after Voldermort returned. Thus it was no longer custom for the champions to begin the ball, a responsibility that had been passed on to the heads.

So Rose and Scorpius had to dance together. They learnt how to waltz, foxtrot, quickstep and (although they would never admit it) jive. They started learning eight weeks into the term, both surprised at how quickly they picked it up.

And Rose looked forwards to those nights. The evenings she would come back to the heads' common room and dance around with him until the stars had come out. When he would be waiting for her and once finished they would drink butterbeer by the fire. He was funny she realised, and he was gentle. And she had fallen all too soon.

So Rose picked out a dress that was meant to wow him, one that fanned out as she turned, one found in the most secluded corner of Hogsmede. And she did her hair and makeup in a bid to make him see her. And she walked down her dormitory stairs with shoes that made her feel like a princess, with her heart pounding in her chest. And it took every piece of strength she had not to run to him and kiss him until his lips were swollen and they had missed the dance. But Rose contained herself, the only chink in her amour the too-bright smile and the barely concealed longing glances.

The two heads danced in front of the school. Flawlessly they waltzed, foxtrotted and quickstepped, moving around with a grace that had come from weeks of practice. And when they finished everyone cheered so loudly that they danced again. Rose tried to ignore the hurting in her chest, knowing that this was the last dance they would have, instead focussing on the feeling of the moment.

It was the perfect night until Rose walked in on Scorpius and a brown haired Ravenclaw making out behind the Christmas tree. She didn't avoided Scorpius as such, merely shied away from conversation and late night butterbeers until the end of school, when she promised herself she would never let him break her heart again.

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AN - I hope you like this new story idea; I plan to have two more, reasonably short, chapters. Any ideas are welcome, please rate and review!


	2. Not this time

Rose Weasley moved out of her parents' house a year after she finished Hogwarts. She hadn't danced again since that fateful Yule Ball, the memories staying with her even though she hadn't seen Scorpius for ages. And she told herself that she didn't care anymore, that having any kind of feelings for a boy that she hadn't seen in years was stupid.

Rose had never had to deal with newspapers and reporters in Hogwarts. Professor McGonagall had put her foot down, insisting that no one should be forced to grow up surrounded by people wanting to know every detail of their life. But once Rose had left those protected walls, the reports and their quick-quote quills surrounded her, desperate to know details of the seven years they had lost. So Rose was swamped, and had to find her own ways of dealing with them.

It was a muggle club in the south east of London that Rose ran away to. No reporter would dare follow her there, and no one in the muggle world knew, or cared, who she was. Rose always thought of it as her place of solace, away from her parents and her own past. This was why, when a blonde-haired Slytherin swaggered into the dim-lit club, Rose was more than a little put out.

He had grown in the past three years, his hair now a little shaggier and arms a little stronger. But his eyes, warm grey as always, were still as inviting and mysterious as ever. She noticed him as soon as he walked in, her brain still accustomed to finding his presence. It took a while before the dance floor had cleared enough for him to make a beeline for her, but he came over and asked to dance before she could reach the door.

'Look, I don't remember any dances okay?' Was her feeble protest, one that Scorpius, of course, saw straight through.

'Sure you do.'

'Look Scorpius I actually don't; it was three years ago.'

'How many students were sorted before you?'

She looked at him as if he had asked a hippogriff if it had wings, 'Eighty-five.'

'And how many points did Ravenclaw win the house cup by in our first year?'

Rose gave him another slightly odd look, before boldly stating, 'Fourteen.'

'Rose that was ten years ago, I think that you can remember a few dances from seventh year.'

It was with a slightly coloured face that Rose was led onto the dance floor. And they twirled and waltzed and jived and quickstepped until they forgot anyone else in the club existed. It was only when they stopped to breathe that they heard the silence, followed by a whistle, then shouts and applause.

People called for more, but Rose didn't hear them. People began to crowd the dance floor again, but Rose didn't feel it. She just saw the blonde boy reach out to her and raise an eyebrow; a question of a second dance. But Rose only remembered the pain of him kissing that girl. So it was with a slightly sad voice, her mind still trapped in the past, that she answered.

'Not this time.'

...

AN - Hope you liked the second chapter; if you have any feedback or ideas please let me know!


	3. Finding the end

Rose Weasley had taken to running from her fears. She ran from the reporters, from the night at the Yule Ball and now Scorpius. She has taken to running away and burying her problems in the hope that they would never see the light again. But she knew that if Scorpius had found her in that muggle club, he could find her anywhere.

Whilst she couldn't let him in just yet, Rose went dancing again. She had forgotten the feeling of soaring, of forgetting why she was hurting. She had forgotten why she enjoyed those evenings in the common room; now accepting that dancing mattered to her just as much as Scorpius did. But she always apparated to the Leaky Cauldron for a butterbeer after dancing - just for old times sake.

It hurt less now. Rose didn't shudder when she thought about the ball in the way she used to. She just smiled a little sadly, catching a little glimpse of what she had wanted. In her heart she still wanted it - just a little bit; she still wanted to be the girl he chose. But Rose now knew that he didn't define her, that no one was worth selling her soul for, an that dancing wasn't about him at all. It was about her and he was only the one that had shown it to her.

Rose did return to that muggle club in the end, and Scorpius was waiting for her. And they did dance there most nights, apparating for butterbeer then back for the second dance. She finally let him in again, and it stayed that way, just as it should.

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AN - that's the end of that. I hope you liked this short story, sorry for the gap in updating; I had a bit of a writer's block. Any feedback, or things you think I should change are welcome. Thanks x


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